Trump sees backlash over $5K dividend pledge

Trump sees backlash over $5K dividend pledge

President Trump’s promise to distribute $5,000 to every U.S. adult if the GOP wins the midterms is drawing backlash from Republicans and Democrats as the president’s allies are forced to explain and defend the proposition.

© Travis Dove, The New York Times via The Associated Press

Fiscal hawks, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), openly questioned how the government would be able to afford to pay 270 million Americans that much money, while others have likened Trump’s proposal to bribery.

“Maybe some of us think dependency is evil & soul-sucking in all its forms,” Roy wrote in a post on the social platform X, referring to Trump’s idea.

Former Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), who chaired the House Freedom Caucus, referred to Trump’s dividend as a “socialist vote-buying scheme.”

It’s unclear how the president would be able to implement such a move given there are 270 million American adults, meaning the endeavor would cost the government roughly $1.35 trillion .

The president’s latest proposal is not the first time he’s offered dividends to Americans.

Trump has repeatedly floated a $2,000 tariff dividend check, as well as a $5,000 Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dividend. Neither idea has come to fruition.

“$5,000 for the peasants will be in the mail after the election only if you vote Republican, along with those DOGE and tariff money checks,” former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a staunch Trump critic, wrote in a post on X.

The Hill’s Julia Manchester has more here .

Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter , I’m Julia Shapero — bringing you the latest on the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond:

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) is ramping up pressure on Democrats to back the Clarity Act as it heads to the Senate floor next week for a procedural vote, highlighting the changes they have secured to the bill throughout negotiations.

Sales of existing homes dropped to their lowest level in more than a year last month amid rising mortgage rates and housing prices, according to a report released Thursday.

Fox News anchor Bret Baier pressed Vice President Vance on President Trump’s pledge to give Americans $5,000 if Republicans keep control of Congress come November, saying critics would respond to the roughly $1.3 trillion payout as “bribing voters.”

Wholesale inflation picked up last month after cooling earlier this summer as higher oil and gas prices stemming from the Iran war keep costs elevated.

Upcoming news themes and events we’re watching:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the August consumer price index (CPI) report Friday at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

Branch out with more stories from the day:

US unemployment claims dip to 206,000 as layoffs continue to remain rare

WASHINGTON (AP) — Slightly fewer Americans filed for unemployment claims last week as jobless claims remain at historically low levels and layoffs are still relatively rare.

Business and economic news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

IMF says global growth on track to reach 3 percent in 2026, but risks remain high ( Reuters )

Oracle posts higher profit, revenue on continued cloud infrastructure strength ( The Wall Street Journal )

Former President George W. Bush on Thursday lavished praise on Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine, amid the ongoing war with Iran. Read more

President Trump pledged Wednesday to dole out $5,000 dividends to U.S. adults only if Republicans keep their control … Read more

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